Official ONS earnings · 122 occupations compared
Wales vs West Midlands
Typical pay is about 1% higher in West Midlands, but that headline hides a lot: Wales pays more for 56 of the 122 occupations measured in both.
Wales
£32,489
typical occupation median
- Occupations measured
- 167
- Highest paid
- £86,152
- Lowest paid
- £10,404
West Midlands
£32,969
typical occupation median
- Occupations measured
- 206
- Highest paid
- £79,812
- Lowest paid
- £3,823
Where Wales pays more
Biggest proportional gaps in Wales's favour.
Assemblers and routine operatives n.e.c.
+36.6%£35,251 in Wales · £25,807 in West Midlands
Assemblers (vehicles and metal goods)
+33.9%£36,804 in Wales · £27,493 in West Midlands
£45,462 in Wales · £34,398 in West Midlands
Production, factory and assembly supervisors
+25.5%£38,701 in Wales · £30,839 in West Midlands
Packers, bottlers, canners and fillers
+21.9%£30,254 in Wales · £24,816 in West Midlands
Metal making and treating process operatives
+20.3%£37,233 in Wales · £30,940 in West Midlands
£34,760 in Wales · £28,985 in West Midlands
Housing officers
+18.5%£31,814 in Wales · £26,858 in West Midlands
Where West Midlands pays more
Biggest proportional gaps in West Midlands's favour.
£57,822 in West Midlands · £34,817 in Wales
Research and development (R&D) managers
+28.9%£61,923 in West Midlands · £44,036 in Wales
Nurse practitioners
+26.1%£42,256 in West Midlands · £31,244 in Wales
£56,066 in West Midlands · £41,581 in Wales
£36,171 in West Midlands · £27,258 in Wales
£40,294 in West Midlands · £30,404 in Wales
Routine inspectors and testers
+21.4%£37,589 in West Midlands · £29,550 in Wales
£37,082 in West Midlands · £29,230 in Wales
Jobs that pay the same in both
Where location makes almost no difference to the median.
| Occupation | Wales | West Midlands | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early education and childcare practitioners | £18,402 | £18,397 | 0% |
| Sales and retail assistants | £14,568 | £14,582 | -0.1% |
| Human resources and industrial relations officers | £32,820 | £32,891 | -0.2% |
| Transport and distribution clerks and assistants | £34,762 | £34,827 | -0.2% |
| Chefs | £25,625 | £25,542 | +0.3% |
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional), Table 15. Comparison covers the 122 four-digit SOC 2020 occupations with a published median in both regions. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.